The CEO of Moderna, a US biotech company that develops a COVID-19 vaccine, has predicted that the pandemic will end within a year.
According to the Daily Washington Post (WP) on the 23rd (local time), CEO Stefan Bansel Moderna expressed this view through an interview with the Swiss media on the same day.
He predicts that by the middle of next year, as vaccine companies ramp up production, enough supplies will be available for everyone on the planet to be vaccinated.
When asked if this meant "return to routine," he said, "I estimate it will be within a year as of today."
He predicted that a booster shot would be needed every 1 to 3 years and that "there will eventually be a situation similar to the flu".
"It's either going to be one of two things: get vaccinated and get through the winter, or get sick and be hospitalized without getting the vaccine," he said.
Whether Bansel's predictions come true depends on closing the immunity gap between rich and poor countries, the WP notes.
Wealthy countries have preempted them by raising initial high prices for vaccination, while poor countries have largely relied on donations from wealthy countries.
In fact, in wealthy countries, close to 80% of the population has had one or more vaccinations, whereas in poorer countries this rate drops to 20%.
The US and UK are considering booster shots, but most countries in Africa have vaccination rates in the single digits.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres criticized the heads of state attending the UN General Assembly on the 22nd, saying, "It is disgusting to stock up on vaccines in some countries and sometimes to discard them."